


Oh Jeez, Snufkin

by userofthisname



Category: moomin - Fandom, the moomins
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Any way you wanna imagine it, Bullying, F/F, FUCK, High School, It won’t get mentioned but the Joxter uses all pronouns, I’ll keep the tags updated, Kazoo, Kind of maybe also takes place in 2020, M/M, Middle School, Minor Character Death, Murder, No hate tho - Freeform, Nothing against sex workers that’s just how it turned out, Open Relationships, Original tag was prostitution but actually there’s only mentions of like being a stripper, Other, Snorkmaiden is an asshole, Takes Place In 2019, There will be no smut in this, Vape, cursing, everyone hates sniff, forgot to add that, harmonica, ill shut up now, in a good way, in chapter three - Freeform, little my is a menace, moomin says “fuck”, nb joxter, no beta we die like illiterate idiots, only for convenience, only murder, sniff dies but it’s not in the warnings bc I forgot, sniff hate fic, sniff is a capitalist, snufmin, this is going on for longer than expected, this is not nice, too many tags, trans moominmamma, trans snufkin, uhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-01-03 03:03:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21172358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/userofthisname/pseuds/userofthisname
Summary: Moomin starts his first year of high school as a junior, previously homeschooled.[On permanent hiatus]





	1. The start

**Author's Note:**

> Have fun.

Moomin’s stomach flipped as the bus pulled away from where he’d gotten on. His backpack was on his lap, and if it had been any bigger than he might have gotten stuck in the seat. 

Moomin was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice when a kid reached over him to open the window, blowing some sort of mist out of it. It smelled like cereal. The kid had on a flower crown, and oversized t-shirt, and large boots. Moomin vaguely recognized him, but couldn’t remember where from. 

The kid caught him staring and gave a nod of greeting, blowing the mist towards the top of the bus instead of out the window this time. “Hi.” Moomin squeaked, waving. He desperately wished he could sink into the seat and die. He had never been to school before, but from what Little My had told him, it was terrible.

The bus pulled up in front of the high school and Moomin’s stomach twisted in fear. “Oh!” The Vape Kid yelled, making Moomin jump. “You live in the house next to me!” Moomin meant to respond, he really did, but then the bus stopped and kids began to file out. 

“You.” The bus driver pointed to Snufkin. “You blew smoke all over my bus, stay here.” Oh, so that was his name.  
Moomin got out his schedule, and ran to class, hoping he would see Snufkin again soon. 

Moomin, unfortunately, didn’t see Snufkin for the rest of the day. Instead, he sat with about 10 little freshmen that called themselves ‘the Woodies’ at lunch, and met a senior named Too-Ticky that was in two of his classes. 

When he got home, he explained the situation to Moominmamma, who told him not to worry and gave him cake. Little My explained how she got into a fight around the dinner table, and won. Moomin did his homework and went to bed without another thought about Snufkin for the rest of the day.


	2. He’s back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhh, it’s in the chapter title basically.  
(Somewhat edited?)

Snufkin isn’t on the bus the next day or the day after that. When Moomin asks Too-Ticky about it, she says he probably got suspended for vaping. The Woodies agree, but seem sad. They seem to know him well. 

Moomin thinks about walking over to his house, but it’s loud, and children pour out of it constantly. Instead, he does his homework. Then, only a few days later Snufkin is back. “Hello MoominTroll.” He says, and tips a pretend hat to him on the bus.

Moomin is delighted, “you should sit with us at lunch!” He exclaims, going red almost immediately after. But Snufkin doesn’t get annoyed by Moomin’s request, instead he seems charmed. “Sure.” He agrees, then they get off of the bus.

Snufkin is only in one of Moomin’s classes, but when they try to sit together the teacher pulls them apart and refuses to even think about it. ‘You’ll talk too much,’ she announces, even though Snufkin almost never talks. Either way, things don’t change. Moomin sits glumly across the room, only able to exchange looks with Snufkin instead. 

When lunch came around, Snufkin is delighted to see the Woodies. He pats each one on the head, and plays a tune for them on a harmonica Moomin didn’t realize he had. They get weird looks from other students, but none of them seem to care. And when they finally get lunch and sit down, Snufkin leans against Moomin, just a little bit.

At the end of the day Moomin decides that he quite likes Snufkin, flower crown and all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter, there’s going to be a lot of them, and the no editing.


	3. Thank the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please, please read the tags, I’d rather not give anyone a nasty surprise.  
(Somewhat edited?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than usual (a little over a thousand words, actually), and was really fun to write. There is a character death in the chapter, (pretty minor) so please read the tags! Please don’t read if this is a trigger for you and will make you feel bad, I’ll summarize the chapter in the end notes for you!
> 
> Also sorry for mistakes, I’m really tired so I didn’t real over it past the first few paragraphs.

When Moomin gets his first report card, he only has one B. He proudly presents this to Snufkin, getting a lazy smile and a report card he’s made into a boat. Snufkin has a few Bs, but mostly Cs. Later that day they send the boat down a river.

It’s after that when Moomin decides he’d quite like to have Snufkin over. He nervously pitches the idea to Snufkin on the bus, who is overjoyed despite only showing off a small smile. In return he plays Moomin a tune on his harmonica. The Joxter doesn't have much to say on the matter, but The Mymble assures him it’s alright on her way out the door. 

When they get to The Moomin’s house, Moominmamma already has dinner on the table. “Oh dear,” she says, “I've only got four plates ready.” But soon they’ve got a fifth and are pulling up an extra chair. Moominpappa only gives Snufkin a smile and a nod, thinking about his memoirs. Little My is not as nice.

“He looks homeless.” She announces, nearly stabbing Moominpappa with her spaghetti fork. Moominmamma swats at her head. “That’s not very nice, Little My.” She sticks out her tongue and runs upstairs. Snufkin and Moomin laugh. 

When it gets dark Moominmamma comes in to tell them to stay quiet while the rest of the house sleeps. She leaves, letting the door close behind her with a soft ‘click.’ After her footsteps fade into further portions of the house, Snufkin opens the curtain, and works on getting the old window open after. 

“What are you doing?” Moomin asks, helping him pull the window up as far as it will go. “Don’t you want to explore?” He says with a mischievous grin on his face. Moomin looks at the window. “I’m not sure I’ll fit.” “We’ll manage.”

Snufkin slips through the window first, then Moomin tries to. His face goes red when he gets stuck, and Snufkin has to steady his feet on the wall and yank on Moomin’s arms to get him out. They go crashing onto the grass, but successfully shut the window after and get on their way. 

“Where will we go?” Moomin asks, looking around the dark street. Snufkin shrugs. They wander around seemingly aimlessly for a while before they hear the yelling. “Huh.” Snufkin says, “That sounds like Too-Ticky.” They cross the street, but before they get to the source of the yelling Snufkin stops and hands Moomin a knife. His eyes widen, but Snufkin assures him it’s just in case and that they probably won’t need it. Though, they are about to go into an alley at night, after all.

“You owe me two thirds of the money!” “You don’t do anything, I don’t owe you shit!” The voices stop as Moomin and Snufkin get closer. “Sniff?” Snufkin says, squinting at the silhouettes. Moomin knows that name, Sniff is the kid who announced that capitalism was spectacular in one of his classes. “What’s the problem?” Moomin asks. 

“She won’t give me money she owes!” Sniff yells, pointing an accusing finger at Too-Ticky. “He told me where this alley was and now he’s trying to take two thirds even though I already paid him.” Too-Ticky looks exhausted. “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll report you!” Sniff threatens, crossing his arms. “What are you, five? You’re just as deep into this as me!” The argument continues to worsen as Moomin and Snufkin stand there, looking from Too-Ticky to Sniff and back. 

The next few minutes pass by in a blur. Sniff tries to leave, but Too-Ticky blocks his path. Suddenly Sniff is reaching for something behind him, and Snufkin is there, stopping his arm a bit too late. A gunshot echoes through the alley, barely missing Moomin and whizzing by Too-Ticky. Then Snufkin stabs him and Sniff falls, holding his bleeding neck as he chokes on the blood, a crimson puddle already forming beneath him. Too-Ticky throws a bunch of bags onto Sniff’s body, then suddenly Snufkin grabs Moomin’s hand and they run, out of the alley and down the streets. 

Moomin loses track of how much they run, but eventually they stop twisting through streets and end up in a park, wheezing. Too-Ticky is the first to really realize their situation. “Oh my- fuck- we, we killed him! They’re going to find the body! We’re going to get arrested, I’M going to get arrested and-” small droplets fall from the sky, making patterns on the ground. Moomin starts to laugh. Then Snufkin and Too-Ticky do as well. They laugh because of the utter perfection, in fact they laugh so hard that they end up on the ground, not caring as the rain picks up and dirt becomes mud. They laugh until they’re all freezing and huddling together for warmth, the sky starting to lighten up and show the first signs of dawn. Too-Ticky wipes a tear from her eyes and gives them one last hug before she leaves, twisting her hat dry as she walks. 

When Moomin and Snufkin finally get back Moomin is crying again for a different reason. “We killed someone, Snufkin!” He says, loud sobs echoing down the empty street. “I reckon it would’ve happened eventually even if we hadn’t.” He replies, but Moomin continues to sob. “He’s done worse things, don’t feel bad.” “What has he done?” Moomin asks. Snufkin just shakes his head, rubbing his arms up and down in comfort. “Worse things.” He says, shaking his head again. Moomin has never seen Snufkin look scared, not even when Sniff tried to pull out the gun, and it worries him. 

They climb back through the window, and Snufkin borrows an oversized red shirt and shorts stolen from The Mymble’s daughter’s room. Moomin hands him a blanket, and they climb into bed at around five-thirty in the morning, falling asleep almost immediately. 

“Breakfast is ready!” Moominmamma says, nearly busting down the door. “Fuck.” Moomin whispers. The clock reads 8:00 am. 

“Did you hear?” They say, when Moomin and Snufkin get on the bus. “Someone was murdered!” “Really?!” Moomin slumps against the window, sharing a grim, knowing glance with Snufkin, and later with Too-Ticky when they get to school. “Did you hear?” The woodies nearly scream. “They think it was suicide, but the rain washed all the evidence away!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summery:  
Snufkin sleeps over at Moomin’s house, and they sneak out and wander around until they find Sniff and Too-Ticky arguing about drug money. Sniff then tries to pull a gun but Snufkin stabs him and all three run away. Rain washes away the evidence and the three have a good laugh in the park they end up at about it. Moomin feels guilty and cries when they get back, but Snufkin tells him not to because Sniff has done bad things, refusing to tell Moomin what and becoming uncomfortable. They only get about 2 and a half hours of sleep until Moominmamma wakes them up. Moomin isn’t happy about this and whispers the fuck word. When they go back to school on Monday everyone is talking about the murder, and it’s later said that they think it was a suicide.  
End of chapter.
> 
> Sorry for such a long chapter and summery! I might post more and longer chapters for NaNoWriMo.  
:)


	4. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh, idk it’s in the title for most of them, not really any warnings.  
(Somewhat edited?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last one was posted twice by accident, sorry about that! It’s been fixed now though lol. This chapter is kind of weird and probably not very well written, so sorry about that.

Moomin and Snufkin don’t talk to each other for a while after that. The days go by, but neither can figure out what to say. The case had almost completely shut down when drugs were found not far from the victim, and they hadn’t bothered testing for an overdose. 

Moomin felt guilty. He’d thought about what Snufkin said, and how he had acted back when they had talked about the subject, but it didn’t make him feel much better. It wasn’t that Moomin didn’t trust Snufkin, but did someone really deserve to die? Sniff hadn’t even been an adult at the time. 

Soon after, Moomin began to have nightmares. In the beginning he would wake up in cold sweat, his blankets kicked to the floor. For the first few nights he would try to go back to sleep, pulling the covers over his chin, and squeezing his eyes shut. Needless to say, it didn’t work. So instead he’d rely on his phone, waking up every night to scroll through memes or watch conspiracy theories, blanket curled around him for comfort.

It started to show very quickly. Dark bags lined his red eyes, which were almost always half closed. The few times he nodded off in class he’d gotten a ruler slapped against his desk until he jolted back awake. Moomin wasn’t doing too well. 

Of course, Moominmamma wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to make any accusations, but it did just so happen that the night Snufkin came over was the same night a body was found, not to mention that Moomin wasn’t looking so hot after. So it wasn’t too much of a stretch for her to have assumed that something had gone down. After assuring herself that it wouldn’t be too weird, she decided to look through Moomin’s room. 

There wasn’t anything to be found. Maybe she could have found something in one of Moomin’s many journals, but that was a bit too invasive for her. So instead Moominmamma turned to walk back out, giving one more glance around the room as she stood in the doorway.

With brilliant timing Moomin’s ceiling fan halted to a stop as a tree on the other side of town, worn down from the storm, fell directly on top of a power line. His curtain proceeded to stop moving, falling back against the windowsill and revealing a small amount of wall that seemed to have moved. 

Moominmamma walked over to inspect this, drawing back the curtain for light. As it turned out, Moomin had not squeezed through the window, the window had stretched to accommodate him. The sides of it had curved out against his weight and caught onto the sliding panel, leaving it half open and stuck. Moominmamma sighed. Well, she thought, at least they wouldn’t be able to sneak out again. 

Too-Ticky wasn’t as affected. It wasn’t that she was a heartless murderer, but she had seen and heard about the things Sniff had done. The way he was able to turn on people so quickly, sell them out, and manipulate others for even a small handful of pennies. Sniff may not have deserved to die, but it was better than the alternative, and they had only done it for self defense, right?

The Woodies, on the other hand, knew nothing, and Too-Ticky, Moomin, and Snufkin were content to keep it that way. Snufkin would still play his mouth organ, Too-Ticky continued to give advice and dawn over girls, and Moomin, well he tried his best. 

When Moomin got home that day, he didn’t notice as Moominmamma watched, he was too tired. At dinner, she brought it up. “You haven’t had Snufkin over in a while.” She stated. “I still have his vape from last time, I guess he didn’t notice.” Little My complained, waving it around. Moominmamma took it away and looked back at Moomin, who was about to slide off of his hand and into his food. “Moomin!” Moominmamma snapped, slapping the table. 

Moomin came to with a bang, slamming his head into the wall. “Yeah sure!” He answered automatically, eyes already beginning to shut again. “Good. You can ask him to stay tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Btw if there’s any mistakes that are annoying you just comment and I’ll try to fix them ASAP, I’m not the best at editing.


	5. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh, Moomin and Snufkin actually talk. I don’t want to spoil too much because yeah, but there is a rape mention in this chapter. It’s not graphic enough for me to put an in depth summery, but just know that it’s in here kind of near the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHNNHHHFJJSFHDJSJCJCJjjdjjdjvjjfekacirjwkafknyrowodjfjksskkrtksalrnfnsks.  
:)  
(Somewhat edited?)

Moomin had made a mistake. He stressed over this as he got onto the bus, regretting his new tactic of automatic answering. He liked Snufkin, he really did, but he was scared at the thought of what could happen if he slept over again. It wasn’t Snufkin’s fault, but that didn’t mean inviting him over hadn’t led to it. 

“Hello, Moomin.” Snufkin said stoically, breaking the silence. “Hello!” Moomin squeaked in response, pulled out of his thoughts. They both looked away before Moomin scraped together his courage. “DO YOU WANT TO COME OVER?” He shouted, causing the bus to go silent. Snufkin sighed. Then snorted. Then broke out laughing. Before he knew it the entire bus was laughing along with him.

Moomin turned a bright red, even after everyone had gone back to their own conversations and forgotten about the incident altogether. “Yes.” Snufkin finally responded. “I’ll come over after school.” The rest of the bus ride was spent in a slightly more comfortable silence, and Moomin got a decent nap out of it.

The day passed quickly after that, and soon they were in front of Moomin’s house, unlocking the door and letting themselves in. “Hello, Moomin. Snufkin” Moominpappa said, sitting at the table on his phone. “Moominmamma went to the store, she said to text her if you needed anything.” They nodded and went to Moomin’s room, awkwardly sitting across from each other, Moomin on the bed, and Snufkin on a beanbag chair. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes before getting restless. “Do you have any board games?” Snufkin asked, at the same time Moomin said “Did you organize those?” Both looked at each other until Snufkin turned around to see what he was talking about. Behind him, was about five notebooks in a neat stack. Snufkin shook his head. Moomin shrugged. “I think we have uno, but all the others need more people.

Uno was fun, but got boring after a while. Eventually, it was time for dinner. After that, the family (and Snufkin) played a board game. Moomin knew of course, that this time had to come, but it didn’t stop the anxiety from taking over. 

Moominmamma opened the door to Moomin’s room, sticking her head inside. “Goodnight, boys.” She said, glancing at the window before quietly leaving, shutting the door behind her. 

When Moomin looked over, Snufkin was already staring at the window with an expression he couldn’t read. “What is it?” He asked. “I don’t think we should go out again.” Snufkin responded, turning back to look at Moomin, who nodded. Both looked down, refusing to meet the others eyes. Moomin busied himself with putting away their previous game of uno until a sniffle caught his attention. 

When Moomin looked up, Snufkin was facing the other way, awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. Moomin stopped what he was doing. “What’s wrong?” He whispered, his voice cracking. Snufkin continued to turn away from him, hastily wiping away tears as they started to pour out faster. Soon Moomin was crying, too. “Why are you crying?” Snufkin asked, finally looking up at him. “Because you are!” Moomin sobbed. “Because of-” he hiccuped, starting to hyperventilate. “Because of last time!” “You didn’t do anything!” Snufkin responded. “You don’t have to cry!” Moomin hiccuped again. “But I was there, and if we hadn’t gone out then it never would’ve happened and-” “I’m the one that stabbed him!” Snufkin nearly shouted. “You had to, he was going to kill us!” 

Snufkin has nothing to say to that, sinking to the floor and attempting to wipe away more snot and tears onto his already-soaked sleeve. Moomin left the room and came back with a roll of toilet paper, which they then used to clean up their faces. “I’m sorry.” Snufkin whispered when they had wiped away all that they could. “It’s not your fault.” Moomin responded. “It just ...happened.” Snufkin nodded, repeating him. “It just happened.”

When they had settled down and Snufkin had changed into pajamas, they talked again, this time quietly. “He did bad things. It’s good that he’s dead.” Moomin looked over, surprised. “What did he do?” Snufkin pulled the blanket up and around him. “He tried to fuck me.” Snufkin said, cringing at the blunt statement. Moomin’s eyes widened, the expression soon turning to one of anger. “He didn’t though, right?” “No, he just grabbed me.” Snufkin hugged himself tighter. 

“Maybe we should have killed him sooner.” Moomin said this so quietly that Snufkin nearly didn’t hear it, leaning in to catch the last part. “If they catch us then we have a reason.” Moomin nodded. “Have you told anyone?” “Only you.” “Oh.” Moomin looked over at Snufkin, who had wrapped the blankets around him even tighter. He opened his arms. “Can I?” Moomin asked nervously, pulling his arms back a little. Snufkin leaned into the touch, letting him into the blanket burrito. Moomin moved closer, adjusting to try and get comfortable, when they fell, hitting the ground with a loud ‘thump.’

They giggled helplessly on the floor, failing to get back up onto the bed again. Their giggling stopped when the door opened and a very tired Moominmamma walked in. “Boys, please go to sleep.” She stated. Moominmamma looked annoyed, but her face softened when she saw their cherry red faces lined with tear tracts. “It’s one a.m., please be quiet.” She shut off the light and left.

Eventually they got out of the blanket trap. Or at least Moomin did, picking up Snufkin and placing him back on the bed with some difficulty. He climbed back in, hesitantly pulling Snufkin's blanket back over him, and falling asleep. “Goodnight.” He whispered. “Goodnight, Moomin.” Snufkin responded. 

Moominmamma let out the breath she’d been holding outside their door. Was this creepy? No, this wasn’t creepy, she was just a concerned mom making sure these kids were ok, right? She shook the doubt from her head and trudged back into her and Moominpappa’s room. Shit, she should probably talk to those kids soon, she figured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
I’m sorry if the perspectives are weird, I’m honestly just trying to write at this point because I haven’t been lately. If anything really bothers you then just comment and I’ll try to fix it ASAP.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter with some trans stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry! It’s been about two weeks since I’ve posted anything! I won’t make you listen to me ramble, but it’s been a bit stressful so I haven’t been posting as much as I should. 
> 
> On a better note, I’m planning to keep trying to post once a week and have gone through and attempted to edit a few more recent chapters. This chapter is really short, but I wanted to include it. Thanks for being patient!

When Snufkin wakes up, Moomin is spooning him. A firm hand around his stomach makes sure he is close. Moving would wake Moomin up, so instead he stays where he is, only turning to look at the small glow-in-the-dark stars on Moomin’s ceiling. Snufkin watches as the room changes colors with the rising sun, shifting into a brighter tone. Eventually, Snufkin’s chest starts to hurt. 

Moomin has turned a bit in his sleep, making it easier for Snufkin to duck under his arm and escape to the bathroom with a wad of clothing. He shuts the door and pulls off his shirt, taking his binder off soon after. He sighs in relief as his aching chest is finally freed, throwing on a bra to replace it, and then his change of clothing soon after. 

Snufkin quietly turns to walk back into Moomin’s room, but slips on a dropped piece of clothing, falling to the floor with a loud ‘thump'. Before he can get up, Moominmamma is in front of him, helping him up and picking up the fallen clothing. She holds up the binder and sighs. “Have you been wearing this all night?” Snufkin looks away without answering, and she shakes her head. “That’s not good for you. You can move into the extra room we have while the Mymble’s daughter is gone, or you can sleep on the couch if you don’t want Moomin to see, but you cannot wear this,” She holds up the binder, “for more than twelve hours.”

Snufkin nods guiltily when she’s done, and she gives him a hug, being sure to avoid his chest as much as she can. “I know it’s hard.” Moominmamma whispers. When she’s out of earshot, Snufkin almost cries. Instead, he puts his clothing away and helps her make breakfast.


	7. The Joxter and The Mymble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure if I’m supposed to use ‘the’ before Joxter and Mymble, so I did anyway. Sorry for two short chapters, the holidays have been busy. Anyhow, a friend started writing on AO3! I’m terrified of her finding this account, but please go check her out! She’s currently working on an original work with demons. Her username is K5S14 and it’s the first thing she’s posted, the first chapter came out today.

When Moomin finally wakes up, it’s to the smell of bacon wafting through the house. He’s disappointed that Snufkin isn’t still with him, but less so when he hears a familiar laugh echo down the hall. 

Snufkin is in the kitchen with Moominmamma, sitting on the counter and stirring up what appears to be a bowl of strawberries and sugar while she stacks pancakes and bacon onto plates. Snufkin’s face lights up when he sees Moomin, a small blush creeping up his ears. It’s the happiest Moomin’s seen Snufkin in a while, and he nearly trips over his own feet to hug the small boy and give Moominmamma a peck on the cheek.

Moomin takes the plates to the table, and sets them out as a disgruntled Little My hurls herself into a chair and nearly faceplants into her food. Moominmamma gives her a concerned look. 

After breakfast is finished and everyone has left the dining room, Moomin and Snufkin wash the dishes. “Thanks.” Snufkin says offhandedly. Moomin gives him a confused look and hands him a plate to dry off. “For dealing with me last night.” He explains. Snufkin’s gut coils, and he feels like he might throw up. “It- we-” Moomin struggles to find the right words. “It wasn’t dealing with you. You’re my best friend and-” Snufkin is sniffling again, and his eyes are starting to turn pink with the threat of crying. He hugs a surprised Moomin and buries his head in the soft fur. Tentatively, Moomin wraps his arms around the other and hugs back. “Gross.” Little My comments, brushing past them to take a newly cleaned cup, fill it with water, take one sip, and put it back in the sink. 

Eventually they do manage to finish the dishes. “I can walk you home.” A hopeful Moomin offers. “Ok.” Snufkin shrugs. They walk down the road in a comfortable silence, the distant noise of chatter slowly getting louder. When they reach the house Snufkin motions for him to come inside. The house is almost exactly like Moomin’s house, only filled with kids. 

It’s like something out of Annie. On every surface there is at least one child. Moomin knows that the Mymble’s daughter is the oldest by far, but none of the children appear to be over the age of ten. Moomin doesn’t notice as Snufkin gently pulls him fully inside, but when the door shuts it jarrs him from his thoughts and he threads his fingers between Snufkin’s. 

They stand in the doorway for a moment before The Mymble herself steps carefully around the children. “Oh hello Moomin.” The Mymble smiles and gives Moomin a quick side-hug and ruffles Snufkin’s hair. She has to bend down to reach them with her heels on, but manages it easily. She’s out the door a second later, only turning back to remind the Joxter to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. 

“Why is she all dressed up?” Moomin asks, thinking back to her short dress and sparkly heels. “She works at a strip club.” The Joxter answers from across the room, somewhere under his hat. “Oh.” Moomin blushes, too embarrassed to ask any more questions. A crash comes from a room further in the house, and Snufkin rushes towards it without warning mumbling something about his stuff. 

Moomin wiggles his fingers around the unpleasantly cool absence of Snufkin’s hand. “So.” The Joxter starts, shifting to a more serious tone. “You’re using protection?” Moomin flushes possibly the darkest shade of red his face will go. “W-we don’t- we’re not doing that.” Moomin manages to stutter out. The Joxter lights his pipe, and Moomin decides that it’s time for him to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and dealing with my shit! You all mean a lot to me, and inspire me to keep writing.


	8. Daisies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snorkmaiden comes in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in a while! Also I haven’t gone over this chapter at all, it’s really shitty, but I haven’t been writing so this is me trying to catch up with the storyline I have set up.

Moomin’s friend group may not have been the biggest, but it was comfortable. And while he was always open to meeting new people, Moomin wasn’t exactly putting himself out there. So when Snorkmaiden came crashing into his life, it was a surprise. Moomin had forgotten to turn his alarm back on, and as a result had to be driven to school by Moominmamma instead of taking the bus.

From an unknown number the day before he went back to school, he had received a text telling him to bring flowers. He’d written it off as a wrong number, and ignored it, only to have Snorkmaiden pull him aside in the hallways, telling Moomin to bring the flowers tomorrow, instead. Snorkmaiden was popular, and Moomin had no idea what to do other than follow her instructions. So he put her name into his phone and got a nice bouquet of daisies. 

Snufkin didn’t question him on the bus about them, and they didn’t talk. Moomin was too busy trying to think of why Snorkmaiden would want flowers, and Snufkin was preoccupied with fixing his flower crown. Moomin didn’t seem to notice that a few of the daisies were missing when he got off the bus.

Snorkmaiden took them from him when walked up to her, looking annoyed. “Goddamnit Moomin, I knew you’d fuck this up again.” She shoved the daisies in her backpack and produced a small array of fake roses. “Now go outside and walk up to me when I get there.” She said, pushing him towards the front of the school. 

Moomin walked outside and waited. “What’s this?” Too-Ticky asked, inspecting them over his shoulder. He jumped, almost dropping them and quickly explained the confusing situation. She didn’t seem surprised. “It’s probably for the dance.” She said, and nudged him towards a less than subtle Snorkmaiden that had been trying to get his attention. “Um, what did you want these for?” Moomin asked, gesturing at the roses. “Yes Moomin, I will go to the dance with you!” She said loudly, and threw her arms around him. Everyone around them was staring now, and a few particularly nasty groups were whispering to each other, though Moomin only caught the word ‘fatass.’ 

When the crowd had gotten bored, Snorkmaiden checked her phone and waved him goodbye before going back inside. Moomin stood there awkwardly until the bell rang, then went to class still deep in thought. The whole situation was weird, but the thing that confused him the most was how wrong it felt. It felt like he was making a mistake, a bit like betrayal, but he couldn’t place it. Instead, he focused on finishing his work.

Lunch hit quickly and suddenly, the wave of teenagers pulling him into the cafeteria where he went and sat down next to Snufkin while he waited for Too-Ticky and a few of The Woodies to get their lunches. His phone quietly buzzed in his backpack, and Moomin pulled it out to check the screen. “Snorkmaiden?” Snufkin asked. His flower crown was off and he was messing with it again, tearing at the small petals.

Moomin nodded. “She wants me to go sit with her.” He explained, showing Snufkin the text. “Tell her to come sit with us.” Snufkin responded. His expression was unreadable, and he refused to meet Moomin’s eyes, opting instead to stare at the phone until the screen timed out and went black. 

Moomin didn’t notice Snufkin’s strange behavior, he was too busy worrying over what to do about Snorkmaiden. He took Snufkin’s advice and carefully typed out a polite response, hesitating over the send button. Snufkin pushed it for him. 

Lunch with Snorkmaiden was awkward. Too-Ticky stayed silent, the Woodies talked among themselves, and Snufkin only cut in to say something passive aggressive when Snorkmaiden was saying something particularly irritating. She talked almost the whole time, and Moomin was thankful for it filling the silence. 

The next day went just as badly. Snorkmaiden was great, but she was also loud. And somewhat demanding. And kind of rude. The rest of the week went similarly, and he could tell Too-Ticky was starting to get annoyed. Snufkin had started to avoid lunch altogether, and Moomin would sometimes see him only a few tables over, purposely facing away from the group. Snorkmaiden didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, then she didn’t seem to care. 

The day of the dance came quicker than expected. There had been dances in the past, but Moomin hadn’t been to one. The cost to get in was ten dollars, so he brought enough to get Snorkmaiden in, too. He wore a nice bow tie, and when he got to the dance felt very underdressed. People were in full suits and short, tight dresses that seemed impractical for dancing. 

He met up with Snorkmaiden in front of the building. She had done her makeup well, and was as dressed up as everyone else seemed to be, if not more, though her dress was not as tight as some of the others. She scoffed at Moomin’s simple choice of a bow tie, but didn’t say anything. He paid at the entrance and they walked into a weird mix of strobe lights and nicely dressed teens. He thought he saw green in his peripheral vision, but when he turned around, there was nothing. Moomin wished Snufkin was here, even if he had been actively avoiding him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t hate Snorkmaiden, I just need to put the characters through as much shit as possible in this awful high school setting.


	9. Hiatus

Hey. I’m really sorry, but I’m not going to be able to finish this. It’s really stressing me out, and while it was fun at first, I’m not sure how to keep writing it. 

Thank you all for being here, but I’m going to put this story on hiatus, most likely permanently, or at least for a long time.


End file.
